What is Playback Theatre?
Playback Theatre is a form of improvisational theatre in which audience members tell stories from their lives, and watch them enacted onstage. Whether in public theatres, workshops, educational or clinical settings, Playback Theatre affirms the importance of personal experience, enables people to view their lives in new ways, and draws people closer as they see their common humanity.
How Is It Performed?
Performances are carried out by a team of actors, emcee (called the conductor), and musician. As the show begins, audience members respond to questions from the conductor, then watch as actors and musician create brief, on the spot re-enactments. Later, volunteers from the audience come to the stage to tell longer stories, choosing actors to play the main roles. Although performances often focus on a theme of interest, the performers follow no agenda, but bring their dramatic skills and their humanity to capture the essence of the stories they hear.
About The Founders
Inspired by many forms of theatre, Playback was first developed in 1975 by Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas and the original Playback Theatre Company in New york. Playback companies now exist on five continents. The International Playback Theatre network was founded in 1990 to support Playback activity throughout the world and now has more than 100 companies and 300 individual members from 40 countries. Playback Theatre is used in corporations, educational & therapeutic environments, and in social change and arts settings.
"People need to tell their stories. It is a basic human imperative. From the telling of our stories comes our sense of identity, our place in the world, and our compass of the world itself." Jo Salas, Co-Founder of Playback Theatre
"People need to tell their stories. It is a basic human imperative. From the telling of our stories comes our sense of identity, our place in the world, and our compass of the world itself." Jo Salas, Co-Founder of Playback Theatre
